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Something ancient has awoken. Primordial and wholly evil, a living shadow emerges from a prison made weak by the magical cataclysm called The Black. Now the Sleeper stalks the land in search of its old enemies, leaving a trail of madness and destruction in its wake.

Eric Cross, a Southern Claw warlock, has been sent to find the Woman in the Ice, the only known means to stopping this evil. Aided by a grizzled ranger and a band of wardens and inmates from a sadistic prison, Cross' mission will bring him into conflict with an array of foes: the barbaric Gorgoloth, vampire shock troops out of the Ebon Cities, and a cadre of mercenary nihilists called the Black Circle.

On a mission that will take him from a lost temple once ruled by insidious wolf sorcerers to the vicious gladiator games of the vampire city-state of Krul to the deadly ruins of an ice city, Cross will play a pivotal role in an ancient conflict whose outcome will determine the future of the world.

Return to the world of Blood Skies in this exciting military fantasy adventure!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I gave the first book 5 stars but this is even better, we have the same descriptive prowess, the world is expanded with the introduction of the Vampire city Krul but the biggest improvement was the new characters that look to have a future in the series and the skilfully described action sequences of which there are many. The book feels more polished and complete, as the world is given more depth, the characters are bigger and the pace faster as the story effortlessly flows from vivid descriptive chapters to all out brutal action." -- Paul Nelson, Goodreads Review

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"Well paced story, good character development, and a knack for making the unreal become real make this a must read for thrill seeking fans. It seemed as the pages were turning themselves. Now on to book 3!" -- Les Braddock, Goodreads Review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Black Scars, Steve Montano's second entry in the Blood Skies Series is an in depth look into the heart and soul of a warrior, albeit a reluctant one. Eric Cross, the young Southern Claw warlock who does not expect to grow old, is thrust into another mission in a world driven mad by demons seen and unseen. Haunted by his own personal demons, Cross senses the futility of his current mission to save the world. Will he turn his back on humanity? From page one, you get the sense this guy will succeed or die trying.

Mr. Montano's descriptive prose is so painstakingly beautiful you are in the moment with his characters at every turn. The sights, sounds, and even the smells almost sent me into sensory over load on more than one occasion. Cross' characterization is breathlessly crafted to the point where I could fall in love with his commitment and sensitivity and abhor his carnal cruelty in the same sentence. From the Vampire Gladiator Pit of Krul, to the tunnels under the deadly Ice City, Eric Cross is stripped of his humanity and left to face the enemy as a raw and ruthless machine powered by arcane magic. Bound on an ethereal level to those he neither likes nor trusts, Cross steps into the jaws of hell itself.

Military fantasy is normally not my first choice for an entertaining read. However, if high adventure in a military `blood and guts' sort of way is your thing Black Scars won't disappoint. If, like me, you enjoy fantasy that draws you into each scene, creates a character that you want to take home to heal, and thrives in a world where despair is the norm yet hope is offered by the warriors who willingly sacrifice themselves, you not only will not be disappointed, you might find yourself craving more.

This book, the 2nd in the series, has Montano expanding on his previous Apocalyptic universe of Earth post The Black, and of course, the main characters including Cross, a human/warlock, sent off to find The Woman In The Ice because she can do 'something' that his supervisors say will save the human race. He's not given the answers. If I were him, I'd fire my supervisors!

As I mentioned in my review of book one, Montano excels at visual descriptions and world building, so much so that although I dislike military fantasy, I dig his work because I like high fantasy and horror. The tapestry he sets is so deep and so vivid, I'm drawn in and wrapped up in his cocoon. Now, there were times I wondered if a segment needed as much detail as he'd poured into it, but then he'd jump into a fight scene or five chapters later there was a tie in that rocked those details and I was flipping back and re-reading to make sure I had every little item just right in my brain-thing. Truly, he's got these layers of intensity going on with his characters and plot, it's clear he's spent so much time building them up and caring for them. I often can't fathom the hell he puts them through.

Again, an awesome, wild ride. I'm definitely on board for the next one. More likely the entire series.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: After reading Blood Skies, Steven Montano's debut, I was very much intrigued by his post-apocalyptic, horror tinged, thriller style. The first book titled the same as the series was definitely something that I enjoyed and so I was very much looking forward to Black Scars and the continuation of Eric Cross's story. The story begins is its usual confusing fashion where a myriad series of events occur and seem to have no connection with each other. The story opens with a creature escaping from its prison not knowing entirely where it is and what it's supposed to do.

We find Eric Cross along with a new team trying to fit in after the events of the past and still trying to gel with his new magical spirit. Eric is a young veteran who has faced horrors beyond the human imagination in the preceding title, he also has become the first mage to lose his spirit but also gain a new one as well. These events however cannot prepare the reader for the mayhem that is yet to come and the author does his absolute best to outdo the first book in the gore factor as well as the plot twists.

The book's biggest strength is the author's prose, it is stylistic like John Connolly when it comes to descriptions of the world and its inhabitants, however while John does it in a bit of a restrained manner, Steven Montano goes out blazing on all his cylinders. His prose and descriptions paint a bleak and brutal picture but its beauty is no less stark. The pace and plot twists are ratcheted up further if that was even possible. The author's imagination has to be lauded for the world he has created as well as the horrors that inhabit it.Read more ›

The world is still at war and Eric Cross is directly in the middle of it. Eric is in search of the one thing that can stop the new evil that has awoken, the Sleeper. But while on his search he becomes the target of this ancient evil. Now in a race against time, Eric and his group of mismatched miscreants have to beat the evil to the Ice ruins that hold the secret to saving them all, the Woman in the Ice. And he will be forced to do things he never thought he could and go places he never wanted to go as Eric's skill as a warlock and Southern Claw soldier are put to the ultimate test.

I have to say that I love the hero in this story, Eric Cross. He is definitely not your typical hero. He's not the biggest, strongest, most powerful, the best fighter or best looking. All in all he is pretty average, but it is the way he handles himself when put into seemingly impossible situations that amazes me. This is where he becomes the true hero, this is where he shines, where his smarts and tenacity pay off. When most would back down or run for the hills, Eric takes charge, hardens himself and is the first on the line. Always willing to risk his life before anyone else's. In Black Scars Eric is no longer the timid warrior we saw in Blood Skies. Hardened by battle and loss Cross becomes just the hero the Southern Claw needs.

And I loved the characters that surrounded Eric in Black Scars, especially the mismatched band of miscreants he relies on to find the Woman in the Ice. With my favorite being Kane, the fierce warrior and often funny inmate whose fate got tied to Cross. I loved to hate Danica and often wished that I could jump in the book and choke her, but she proved to be a warrior that I didn't mind seeing by Eric's side.Read more ›